NEWS 12 SKILLS
Tackling the skills challenge The British Pump Manufacturers Association (BPMA) recently signed a collaborative agreement with Lancaster University. To better understand the importance of this type of collaboration between industry and academia, flow spoke to the agreement’s co-signatory, Professor George Aggidis from the university. flow: What is the scale of the skills challenge facing the engineering sector? Professor Aggidis: Engineering faces some key challenges in skills development that will have long-term implications for productivity within the UK manufacturing industry. Also, the demand for higher level skills is increasing and matching relevant supply to this demand is crucial. By 2022, two million more jobs will require higher level skills. More than one-infive of all vacancies are ‘skills shortage’ vacancies, where employers cannot find people with the skills and qualifications required. This means a greater focus is needed to ensure that we develop the higher-level skills required in the labour market to secure future economic stability and prosperity. f: What role does collaboration, such as the recent agreement between your university and the BPMA, have to play in addressing the skills challenge? PA: Collaboration between industry and academia has a significant role to play in supplying highly skilled people to meet demand from businesses both now and in the future. The UK has a strong track record of higher skills development, but we need to do more. Employers are acutely aware of the skills their businesses need for future growth so it is employer needs that must drive skills development. The best outcomes are produced where employers are actively involved in the design and delivery of programmes. Both universities and employers need to be innovative and engaged in promoting different and non-traditional routes into higher skill roles. We need more well-articulated, vocational and technical pathways for both young people and experienced engineers. These pathways will then open routes to higher-paid careers for a broader group of talented people. f: There is an investment required from all parties – financial, time and other resources – what returns can be expected from that investment? PA: Both industry and academia stand to benefit from longterm cooperation. Companies will gain greater access to cutting-edge research and scientific talent at a time when corporate R&D budgets are increasingly under pressure. Universities will gain access to financial support and partners in research at a time when Government funding is shrinking. Most importantly, society will benefit from a stream of previously unimaginable advances that will vastly improve everyone’s life.
f: Finally, aside from a desire to tackle the skills challenge, what is fuelling an increased willingness for this type of collaborative working? PA: In the last decade there has been an explosion in the number of research deals between companies and universities. Companies, which have been reducing their spending on early-stage research for three decades, have been increasingly turning to universities to perform that role, seeking access to the best scientific and engineering minds in specific domains. And faced with reducing Government support of academic research and calls for them to contribute more to their local economies, universities have been more receptive. Instead of one-off projects, both sides have become much more interested in forging long-term, collaborative relationships like the one between BPMA and Lancaster University. chevron-circle-right
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